Artifacts unearthed on the 21-mile stretch between Cambridge and Huntingdon range from the Neolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages to Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods.

From giant woolly rhinos, to evidence of early human civilisation, the project has yielded an unprecedented treasure trove of finds, bringing to life a rich vein of human history, long-hidden beneath the tyre tracks and clay.

Reflecting on how far the project has come, lead archaeologist Dr Steve Sherlock said: "The archaeology of the A14 is truly spectacular in the scale, size and scope, incorporating 6,000 years of human history.

Dr Steve Sherlock with some of the thousands of finds uncovered under and around the A14 since the upgrade project began.

"This is the largest project that I have been involved with in 40 years of archaeology."

Here he shares some of those extraordinary finds, and the layers of human history that has so far been uncovered.

Time Line

The extraordinary objects found under the A14 that tell the story of historic Cambridgeshire

Ice Age Cambridgeshire

Construction of the A14 requires a large amount of sand and gravel, this material is sourced locally near to the site in “borrow pits” that are up to 5m deep.

Within these quarries remains of ancient extinct animals have been found. So far we have tusks from a woolly mammoth an ancestor of the African elephant, this animal was up to 3m high, 5m long and weighing up to 6 tonnes. There have also been the skulls of four woolly rhinos that can be up to 4m long, 2m high and weigh 4-5,000lbs

Neolithic Period

The Neolithic Period extends from 4,000-2,000 BC. On the A14 we have excavated three Neolithic henges, all at the western end of the scheme. A henge is a circular ceremonial monument, with at least one entrance a ditch and an external bank. There are also a number of flint tools and pottery from ditches and pits as well as one Neolithic hand axe.

The Iron Age

The Iron Age is from c.800BC- 43AD. There are at least fifteen Iron Age settlements that have been excavated along the A14. Some are farmsteads and others form extensive villages with tracks extending to fields in the surrounding landscape.

These farms provide evidence for settlements in the form of circular houses and provide clues to the crops being grown over 2,000 years ago. Evidence for crafts, pottery manufacture and spinning and weaving has also been unearthed.

Roman Cambridgeshire

The Roman period: AD43- 420. There are extensive Roman settlements along the route of the A14. In total at least 16 settlements have been recorded extending from Alconbury in the North to Milton near Cambridge. These settlements take a variety of form from enclosed, defended sites, farmsteads to a major substantial supply depot. There is evidence for craft activities, every day cooking and the manufacture of pottery in kilns on a substantial scale near Brampton

The Anglo-Saxons

The Anglo-Saxon period: AD 420- 1066. Three Anglo-Saxon settlements have been discovered along the A14 at Houghton, Brampton and Conington. They are each slightly different; one a concentration of almost planned houses, Houghton, the second a linear group of buildings alongside the A1 near Brampton and the third an enclosed site at Conington.

Medieval

Medieval 1066- 1539. The major evidence for activity after the Norman Conquest was the deserted medieval village at Houghton to the west of Huntingdon.

This site has an interesting story in that it was perhaps only inhabited for around 200years and was abandoned, not because of the black death but earlier than that event. Without a church or manor this was perhaps a small community that did not flourish and lost its livelihood and was abandoned.